[TenTec] Slash 0

[Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)]

For those of you who insist on the <ALT>-0216 slash zero for every day purposes, PLEASE DON'T!  It may "look" good for you, but it can cause some problems...

1.  It's an extended ASCII character; therefore, it requires a font that maps char #216 to a slashed zero.  Not all fonts have a slashed zero as char #216.  Although *you* might see the slash zero when you type a message, the receiving end may not have a font that has a slash zero as ASCII 216 - instead, the message will display some other character that's mapped to #216 and this can make the message confusing.  For reference, ASCII characters above #127 are considered "extended".

2.  It doesn't sort as a true zero.  A true zero is ASCII char #48 (30h) - if you try to sort on an "extended" character slash zero, it won't sort as expected - especially if you have a mix of true zeros with the extended slash zero.  Char #216 will sort *after* the lower-case "z".

3.  It requires application support.  Not all apps support entering or displaying extended ASCII characters.  Browser based (aka web-based) apps (such as webmail) generally don't support entering extended ASCII characters.  Some may even not display the extended characters.


If you really wish to have a slash zero for day-to-day use, please use a font that has a slash zero as the "true" zero (ASCII char #48 (30h)).  Yes, this will not show a slash zero if you use a different font, but you won't run into any sorting, entry, or display problems.

Sorry for the rant...just trying to prevent future headaches.


  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O (ex-KD6DAE)
    {nn6o}@arrl.net
    {aaron.hsu}@nbcuni.com
    No-QRO Int'l #1,000,006
    . -..- - .-. .-   ".... . .- ...- -.--"
 

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 8:30 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Slash 0


Composing this email with Mozilla Thunderbird and Alt 0216 gives Ø. The 
Num Lock must be on, and if you want repeated slashed zeros " ØØØ " you 
must release the Alt key between 0216s.

Thanks for the information. I wonder if I can "remap" my regular zero 
key to do this with a single keystroke.

DE N6KB

.o0OØ



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